8 reasons why the pork barrel funds and other Presidential funds should be abolished

Rumor has it that there will be a campaign to try and convince the public that members of Philippine Congress need the priority development assistance funds (PDAF) or pork barrel funds to help continue the nationwide scholarship and medical assistance programs initiated by some members of Congress.

True enough, two of President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino’s allies in Congress have filed a petition with the Supreme Court to lift the temporary restraining order on the PDAF so they can access the frozen funds allocated for the remainder of 2013.

Look who’s got your pork: Umali (left) with Niel Tupas in 2012The two Congressmen who think the Filipino people are stupid are Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone and Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali. To refresh everyone’s memory, Umali was infamous for lying about getting damning but bogus information from a “little lady” during the impeachment trial of former Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona. He probably thinks his credibility is still in tact.

You have to hand it to these two clowns for risking the wrath of the public. They have no problem showing their eagerness to receive the funding amidst the scandal and criminal investigations currently gripping the nation involving the use of bogus NGOs to siphon the funds. Where do they get their kapal ng mukha? Where else but from BS Aquino. Because they belong to the same political party as the President, Malanacang is more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. If they were from a different political party, Malacanang would be the first to say these two are so callously corrupt.

Obviously, most of the congressmen are of no real use to the Filipino people. They only ran for congress because of the privileges attached to the office. Other than that, some of them only manage to craft bills such as the renaming of an airport or major road after another member of the Aquino family. Some of them are always absent from the sessions. Senate President Franklin Drilon was on to something when he proposed the abolition of Congress as well. They seem to be a total waste of time and space anyway.

Malacanang mouthpieces and propagandists will be busy in the next weeks trying to distract the public from the pork barrel scams and attempt to call for the retention of the funds for “humanitarian” reasons.

A message lost on Filipinos’ honorable congressmenFor the sake of those who are still not convinced, here are reasons why the pork barrel funds or any of the other funds allocated to both legislative and executive branches of government should be scrapped:

1) Members of Congress, both the upper and lower houses will be forced to do their jobs, which is the crafting and deliberating of laws if they are not distracted by having to deal with NGOs in allocation of their pork barrel funds.

2) Removing the pork barrel funds from among tasks managed by members of Congress will free up their time for more important things like the simple task of attending sessions in Congress instead of lunching/meeting with bogus NGO founders.

3) Abolition of the pork barrel funds and other funds currently allocated to the office of the President will level the playing field during elections. This means ordinary citizens who are better qualified but do not have funds to campaign will have a better chance of getting elected to public office. Think about it. Part of the reason members of the same clan keep winning during election is because they have access to tax payer’s money, which they use for vote buying. This is the reason why Congresswoman Lani Mercado had to warn the public not to ask them for money if and when they lose their access to pork barrel funds and its various incarnation.

4) There really is no reason why monetary assistance, scholarship and medical assistance have to be coursed through the members of Congress. There are departments that exist like the Department of Education, that can take over the so-called “projects” the Congressmen supposedly have for their constituents.

5) Instead of allocating funds to members of Congress, the budget for improvement of education and public hospitals should be increased. This has a better chance of reaching the public and improving millions of lives.

6) Removal of pork barrel funds allocated to Congress means members of the legislative branch of government can act more independently from the executive branch. The President of the Philippines will have very little chance of strong-arming the members of congress into doing what he wants. In other words, the checks and balances in our country’s institutions may have a better chance of working. Leaders like BS Aquino will have to use their charm in stating their case.

7) Without the allocation of pork barrel funds, mediocre leaders like BS Aquino will be forced to resign and allow someone who has better diplomatic and persuasive skills to take over the sensitive post. The only reason a vindictive person like BS Aquino can bully his way around is because members of Congress who should be scrutinizing his decisions have to kiss his ass. Not doing so could mean they will miss out on the allocation of funds for their “projects”.

8) Finally, with the abolition of the pork barrel funds, Filipinos might just vote for public servants who can offer solutions to the country’s problems instead of someone who can give them few hundred bucks or goods — money funded by the taxpayers.

BS Aquino may have said, “It is time to abolish the pork barrel funds” three days before the million people march but the President may have had singer Adele in mind who sang “just ’cause I said it, it don’t mean I meant it”. He’s probably realized that it would be hard to control congress without giving them pork barrel funds.

History has proven that BS Aquino is not above deceiving the public for his own gain. Recent reports have alleged that the President’s stimulus funds were used to buy some of the Senators who convicted Corona during his impeachment trial. Indeed, BS Aquino is very fond of pulling a fast one on his “bosses” with the aid of his bottomless Presidential funds.

Hey Ilda, this is such a great post! My fave. I love no. 3- my dad, who was a lawyer, but now a humbled factory worker here in Australia- had always wanted to run for public office. He’s a guy full of ideas. No connections to politicos of all sorts. A sort-of-individualistic type but at the same time, cares so much about both family and society’s integrity. He believes that the leaders in congress are destroying good filipino families and communities- and many of those in power are already upperclass- so they don’t know what it really is like to… Read more »

And yes the 2 hoodlums in barong/suit were right the Filipinos are stupid people. Pinoys were butt rape in your face and in broad daylight and yet the Pinoys seems doesn’t mind and actually loving it.

Being pessimistic just anything about Pinoys I wouldn’t expect too much that PDAF will be abolish at least not in my lifetime. I do honestly believe, in a bad way, that PDAF is the congress & senate itself.

You idiots voted for them in the 1st place and now your asking “us” to help your kababayans? You fcukin lazy dumbasses pinoys should learn to clean-up your own mess but of course your too stupid to realize that you are wallowing in your own mess.

Specify, kung saan. We need proof, otherwise your just trolling. You really love so much to keep this country down do you. Idiots like you deserve what kind of country we have now. A nation of idiots, run by idiots.

@cobra: “Clearly, you are antiFilipino. Time to wake up. Tulungan mo ang sariling kababayan.” Clearly you’re more anti-Filipino than most of everyone here because you’re just supporting Filipino stupidity. Ikaw, papaano mo tutulungan ang sariling kababayan if you can’t even help to clean up your own mess? Or can’t even think of solutions now? And please don’t put Jonathan Yambot in the discussion. He won because of his hard work, not because he’s a Filipino because not all Filipinos are like him. I’m sure you never heard about George Carlin. Fact is that I will get crickets because you’re indeed… Read more »

And clearly you’re just malakanyakanyang’s communications troll who will just change his username to continue your hostility in this website by posting your pnoy hallelujahs. Still stupid and not smart eh vincensus ignoramus?

Of course its a nation of idiots, stupid, scums, morons. Only in the Pinas where 50 yrs old bachelor w. out a single track record can win for Pres. A daughter of an action star w absolutely no experience and a single track record is voted to #1 in the senate last election. Isn’t that a very very very clear evidence? That Pinas is a nation if idiots?

Are you as smart as Jonathan Yabut? Or are the pinoys in general as smart as Yabut? Naaaah.. I tell you – Poe & Binay within top 6 last election is clear demonstration on how stupid the pinoys in general are.

The only way to help with Philippines right now is through enlightenment. You, as an example, is a slave of the Philippine idiocy. I hope you do open your eyes and mind to realize the truth about the Philippines. Now that is me helping you.

Only when people like you realize the truth is the time this country can progress.

What is that 10 “energy projects”? Note that the office of the president has about 1 trillion in funds. In his term of 3 years that’s more then 3 trillion. Don’t tell me that these energy projects cost 3 trillion pesos? Otherwise we wouldn’t be paying arms and legs to Meralco.

Please note his hesitation to remove Pork, which he later issued a statement just to “appease” the Filipino people, assuming that all Filipinos are stupid.

FYI, “cobra” you still havent answered us. Where are the energy projects that you are talking about?
3 years and your president has nothing to show.
You really picked the wrong side to support, you yellow fool.

Where are the supposed infrastructure projects that you are talking about?
Where is the flood control project?
Where is the supposed progress that you yellow liars are talking about?
And last but not the least, WHY are you still an idiot?

Is that really all you guys from the malacanang mis communications group can do but sugar coat EVERYTHING?
Well, we got news for you, nobody is believing you.
Don’t even try to bring up that sham of a survey since its credibility is already ZERO.

I don’t know what it is with the pinoy. If they don’t vote for a strong or weakling kind of a corrupt tyrant, they’d go for celebrities who aren’t even clever or better at governance. This just makes me puke and yell again and again- WHY?!

Cobra, no less than Ramon Tulfo of PDI said that Arroyo won over FPJ in 2014, by a small margin, but she won nonetheless (see http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/364905/marcos-won-over-cory-arroyo-over-fpj). His informers, “FPJ’s close friends,” told him that “FPJ turned off millions of voters because he shunned meeting with local officials in his campaign sorties and was a clumsy speaker on stage” and “he was too shy to face people.” (I don’t know if it’s true, but I read somewhere that FPJ finished only grade 2.) Tulfo added, “Gloria’s blunder was to talk with Commission on Elections Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano over the phone to… Read more »

It is fine that you support Grace Poe, she has done alot for the MTRCB, and now the senate. I will not be surprised if you will vote her in 2016 presidential elections. As of Binay, you will go with her in the future.

This idiot really thinks that we’ll believe everything he says but unfortunately for him, he is still a laughing stock here.
The troll can’t deny the fact that his precious president’s days are numbered.
The people are already getting tired of Mr. Aquino’s propaganda fueled presidency.

Then Grace Poe would not be a great leader. A leader should not be vengeful and we had enough of the stupidity called ‘Showbiz Government’, which you love to support. As of now, she’s a clown because of your ‘she wants revenge for FPJ’ nonsense.

And still, I will not got to Binay. Fact is she sucks. No track record, political dynasty, popularity. You name it.

Nice trolling, cobra/fishball/eduardo/siomai/bida kapamilya. Keep on lying and you’re proud being an evil person. Well, Malacanang Trolls will do everything for money. Am I right? 😀

This essay states “The two congressmen who think the Filipino people are stupid” and goes on to name the two scunbags and a few of the lies they have told. UH, H-E-L-L-O???? TWO? just tow of the congressmen? Ilda please, bash Aquino all you want but if you think that only two of the congressmen in the Filippines think that the Filipino people are stupid, you might also think the world is flat, eh? You also go on to state that if the pork barrel funds are eliminated the ‘mediocre’ people in the gov’t. would be ‘FORCED TO RESIGN’….WHAT? Who… Read more »